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Misfits Reunion At Riot Fest Excites Diehard Fans

By Evan F. Moore | September 19, 2016 9:17am
 Longtime fans of the horror punk band came from all over to see them perform at Riot Fest on Sunday.
Longtime fans of the horror punk band came from all over to see them perform at Riot Fest on Sunday.
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DNAinfo/Evan F. Moore

NORTH LAWNDALE — For the second time in 33 years, the original lineup of the Misfits performed Sunday as the headliner for Riot Fest in Douglas Park. 

Original members Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only performed with long-time guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein and drummer Dave Lombardo.

The band, which did roughly a 75-minute set, performed many of the their hits, including "Die, Die My Darling," "Horror Business," "We Are 138," and "Hybrid Moments."

When the horror punk rock legends performed in Denver for the first leg of Riot Fest, it was an emotional moment for many of the group's longtime fans. 

"I saw grown men cry, including myself. I was smiling so much my head hurt afterward,” Mike Petryshyn, Riot Fest's founder told the Wall Street Journal. "You see kids wearing the crimson ghost [the band's skull logo] and it means something to them, which makes it completely relevant. They were an important band that only got bigger with each passing decade. Not many bands can say that.”

Fans who traveled to Chicago to see the band close out Riot Fest echoed Petryshyn's sentiments about how important The Misfits' music is to diehard followers. Many sang along with Danzig, the band's original lead vocalist. 

"I was stoked. I started listening to the Misfits when I was 14 years old and I've hoped they would reunite in my lifetime," said John Oberg, 29 who traveled from Los Angeles to see the Misfits. "When I first heard about the show, I knew I had to make the trip out. About their music, you either love everything, or nothing at all."

John Hannigan came in from Long Island, NY. A fan of the band for nine years, when he heard the Misfits was in the festival lineup, he thought it was a joke.

"I'd never thought I've see this. Two years ago, I saw the band with one of the original guys. It was a fake lineup," Hannigan said. "I flew all the way from New York to see this. This is a big deal."

Becca, who came to the Riot Fest from Philadelphia, talked about how influential the group has been: "So many bands exist because of The Misfits."

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